Not so long ago, a short walk down Broadway or the Ave would tell you who was playing that night and where; who had lost their dog and when; and what politician or CEO was scum and why. Today the only reminders of the great posters of Seattle Past are the rows of rusty staples left behind from when city workers tore down tons of original artwork after the Poster Ban passed in 1994.
Now a group of small business owners, musicians, and free speech activists are collecting signatures for a city initiative that would bring posters back to the city's utility poles and lamp posts. The group, Free Speech Seattle, has started setting up tables and passing out petitions, and they also plan to do voter registration drives.
Two of the group's organizers, Beth Fell and Tim Crowley, are dropouts from the City Council's Kiosk Task Force, which was set up by well-meaning leaders to create new outlets for getting the word out cheap. "On paper [the Task Force] looked like it was going to be great," says Fell. "But it was just stupid. Nobody seemed to get that this is a free speech issue. So we decided to take it to the voters."
With roughly 180 days to collect some 20,000 signatures, these guys are going to need some help. Call 781-7371 for more information, or stop by the Hi-Score Arcade at 616 East Pine.